Savage Hunger: Savage, Book 1 (12 page)

“I don’t think so, kid.”

She tried to throw his arm free, but he tightened his grip around her waist and gave one little tug, sliding her slender body directly back against his.

She made a noise of frustration. “Is this really necessary?”

“Yes. I need sleep tonight and this is the only way I’m going to get it.” That and he liked the feel of her ass against his dick. Shit. That last thought had
not
just gone through his head.

He should’ve taken the floor again. Only who knew if he would’ve woken up after getting his head bashed in. Especially now that she had a pretty good idea what her future held.

Sienna didn’t reply and if anything the tension within her body grew. Warrick waited her out, half dozing himself, but keenly aware of every move she made, aware of her fight to not sleep. He knew the exact moment she lost her fight, though. Her body softened against him and soon her breathing evened out, her stomach rising and falling gently against his hand.

He let his fingers trace over the softness of her abdomen and breathed in the scent of her.

Balanced on the edge of sleep and wakefulness, he couldn’t deny how damn good it felt to hold Sienna in his arms.

Chapter Seven

Warrick’s eyes snapped open. Something was different. The room was still dark but holding a hint of light from the full moon outside. He tried to shake the disorientation, but realization came slowly.

Sienna had rolled over so they faced each other, her soft curves now pressed against his body. One leg was thrown over his thigh, her breasts were crushed against his chest, and her head rested against his shoulder…

And she was breathing very unsteadily. Her muscles taut. Son of a bitch, he’d wager she was wide the hell awake too.

Put her aside. Fucking put her aside and get the hell out of this bed.

The blood stirred in his groin and his jaw clenched.

Get up, Warrick.

He closed his eyes and tried not to think about the hard press of her nipples against his bare chest.

Dammit, go!

All he had to do was release her, then slide out of bed and use the bathroom. Get water. Anything to put some space between them for a few minutes until his body calmed down.

The hairs on his body lifted and tension slid through his body, his nerves strung tight with need and awareness.

So soft, lush…Sienna.

So forbidden. Get away from her.

He ground his teeth together and eased toward the edge of the bed.

Her lips brushed against the curve of his neck. “Don’t leave.”

Her husky plea snapped Warrick’s resilient control like a twig. Pure animal instinct took over, sucking away the little resistance he had left.

The arm he held curved around her waist jerked her tighter against him, and then his mouth crushed down on hers as savage hunger roared through his blood.

Have to have her. Have to just taste her once after all these years.

With a low growl rumbling in his throat, he plunged his tongue past her lips, seeking the heat and sweetness inside that he knew he’d find.

Sienna’s startled cry slipped into a low moan, as her tongue grazed over his in a bold caress that set his blood further on fire.

So sweet. Their reunion kiss was just as seductively addictive and forbidden as she had been all those years ago.

More.
He needed more.

His mind was a near-empty slate, filled only with his desire and need for Sienna.

Gathering her tank top in his hand, he pushed it up, sliding his palm beneath it to touch bare skin. A shudder of appreciation rocketed through him at first contact. Silky. Hot. So soft and feminine.

He stroked his thumb over the indention of her navel, before moving his palm slowly up her middle toward the slope of her breast.

She whimpered against his mouth, her body arching into his touch.

Finally he reached his destination. The small weight of her fit easily into his hand, the nipple firming against the center of his palm.

Warrick couldn’t breathe, didn’t dare do anything that might break the absolute sensuality and relevance of this moment. He deepened the kiss and caught the tip between his fingers, and gave an approving growl as she cried out.

His blood rushed faster when she curled her tongue around his and sucked. With each frantic moan she made, his control slipped away little by little. The need for her consuming him and taking over any ability to think. Only the need to take her remained.

Her arousal reached his nostrils, a hedonistic call of her own passion and need. His fingers itched to touch her. To slip into the hot slickness he knew waited between her legs.

It took a moment for Warrick to realize that the guttural groan he heard wasn’t coming from Sienna anymore, and it pulled at his consciousness, tugging him back to reality.

He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds beyond Sienna’s pleasure.

Goddammit. The shifters were awake.

“
All agents outside!
Now
!” Larson screamed from the other end of the house.

Warrick blinked hard and clenched his jaw, pulling abruptly away from Sienna. He tried to ignore her cry of disappointment, refusing to acknowledge the regret that screamed through every muscle in his body.

It was a damn sign that the shifters had awakened. If they hadn’t, he would’ve been screwing her silly within minutes. And God help him, but he’d never have forgiven himself afterward.

The noise from the barn grew louder as he climbed out of bed and grabbed his jeans. Sienna sat up hesitantly, clutching the sheet to her breasts.

“Where are you…?” Understanding replaced the glaze of arousal in her eyes as her head tilted and she listened to the sounds of the shifters outside. “They’re awake.”

“Yeah.” Warrick grunted. “They’re awake and from the sounds of it, not in a very good mood. Stay put, you’re safer inside.”

“Didn’t you say that the other night?” she asked warily, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face.

“Yeah, and I take full responsibility for what happened. But this time you’ll be safe. I mean it, Sienna. Promise me you won’t go outside.”

“Okay. I promise.” She gave a small nod and tugged the sheet higher over her chest.

Don’t think of how sexy she looks, with her cheeks flushed and her swollen lips.
His heart slammed against his chest and he swallowed hard, trying to get his ability to think straight back. He was going to need to be quick on his feet the minute he left the house.

“Will you return?” she asked softly.

Warrick bit back a curse, knowing what she was asking even if she didn’t say it outright.

“Come on, Sienna. You know this can’t happen.” He shook his head and continued roughly, “We both just woke up hot and bothered—not completely surprising when you’re sharing a bed with someone of the opposite sex.”

She flinched. “Right. So you’re saying if it had been Larson I would’ve been all over him like fleas on a dog as well?”

That was
not
the fucking image he wanted in his head. Warrick damn near ripped his shirt by tugging it on so fiercely. He growled low in his throat, anger spiking his blood pressure as he headed toward the door.

“I don’t have time for this now, Sienna. Let’s just write this off as another goddamned mistake.”

“I always seem to be that to you. A mistake,” she said, the rare vulnerability in her voice sliding through his heart like a knife.

He was so damn tempted to come back later, slip into bed, and make love to her. But the scene afterward—when she realized there could never be a future between them—flashed in his head.

It wasn’t worth it. Hurting Sienna a little now was far preferable than the kind of hurt she’d have if they slept together.

How the hell did he come so close to losing every shred of control when he was with her? Every time.
Every
goddamned time
he got near her he had this crazy reaction to take her. To have her writhing beneath him and crying out his name.

He’d thought he would be okay—he’d made it this long without touching her. But then he’d woken up and in a moment of weakness he’d given in. Had tasted her again. Touched her. Opened that door to temptation.

Which meant that he was going to have to keep his distance from this point on, as much as this damn op allowed.

“I’m sorry, Sienna. This is my fault,” he muttered and turned for the door, his chest tight. “When I return I’ll take the floor again.”

Sienna flinched as the door clicked shut. Her fingers gripped the sheet so hard that her knuckles turned white. Her shoulders started to shake from being so taut with tension, and her throat had gone thick with tears she absolutely refused to cry.

She’d cried over Warrick once, when she was barely a woman. And like hell she’d do it again.

But God, what had they done?

Sometime in the night she must’ve stopped fighting to get free of his imprisoning grasp. Because she’d woken to find herself crawling all over him like a bitch in heat.

She should’ve been shocked to realize that she’d nearly wrapped her body around his. Instead she’d grown flushed with awareness, every inch of her body tingling with the need for more. The need for Warrick.

And once again, just like that night six years ago, he’d rejected her as if she were a wine he’d sampled then decided it wasn’t to his liking.

Though neither of them could deny he was attracted to her, all right. He couldn’t quite hide the fact. It was the moments
after
they had an intimate encounter that he’d turn all wacko. That he acted like she’d sprouted a second head or something.

She saw what had happened between them as an emotional doorway that led to so many wonderful possibilities, but in Warrick’s eyes that door needed to be shut. Wait, no. Shut, nailed and boarded up.

It’s better this way, she told herself.
She shouldn’t be thinking about getting it on with Warrick anyway; she should be thinking about getting the hell
away
from him. From all these testosterone-laden P.I.A. agents.

Which, now—with all the agents out of the house—seemed like just about the best opportunity she’d probably have.

With her arousal fading and her thought process becoming a little more rational, she remembered the other reason she needed to get out of here. Now that she knew it was Leo who’d been killed in the lab, it upped the stakes. She’d suspected it, but the confirmation from Warrick’s mouth had felt like a physical kick in the stomach.

It was clear somebody at the lab—whoever was behind the experiments on the shifters—didn’t want any evidence left behind. Including anyone who was aware of the situation. Had they discovered Leo had told her? Would they be coming after her next? And if Leo’s warning was true about someone working both sides from within the P.I.A., then she was essentially a sitting duck.

The realization sparked her blind fear to run. To hide. To get to Boston.

Swallowing her fear and frustration, Sienna thrust the sheet aside and scrambled out of bed, rushing to the dresser and pulling open a drawer.

You promised him you’d stay inside.

Forcing back the hint of guilt that she was going to break that promise, Sienna began pulling on clothes.

Her stomach churned at the thought and her throat grew tight with the urge to cry out in frustration. Fear. She’d get to Boston and everything would be fine. She’d give her father the information on the jump drive and he could start figuring out what the shifters had been given and end their suffering. Discover a permanent cure and not some temporary fix with tranquilizers.

If you were as smart as your dad, you’d have the solution figured out by now yourself.

She shoved aside the belittling voice in her head that loved to remind her she’d never be the same brilliant mind that Kevin Peters was. There just wasn’t time to indulge in the familiar self-bashing.

Her fingers shook as she finished getting dressed. Again she wondered who the bad agent could be. Larson wasn’t exactly giving off the trust-me vibe. But, God, it could be anyone in the agency. Even Warrick.

Her stomach revolted at the idea, and she shook it off before it could take root. No, she thought, her lips curling into a scowl. Warrick might be an insensitive jerk at times, but he wouldn’t turn against his comrades. He had far too much integrity for that.

But someone had. It could even be one of the agents here.
And every moment she stayed in this house, the more at risk she put the information on the jump drive. Maybe even her own life…

Don’t trust anybody.

Her resolve hardening, she went to retrieve the jump drive from the bathroom, her heels clicking on the wood floor. The sweatpants and sweatshirt would work, but unfortunately she had no idea where she’d left the flip-flops Warrick had given her yesterday to wear. Which meant she’d have to put on the heels again.

She shook her head and after retrieving the jump drive, headed toward the door. Her next task, and hopefully not an impossible one, was to find the keys to one of the vans.